Doorknob structure



NOV. 27, 195] BLOOMFIELD 2,576,441

DOORKNOB STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 24, 1948 f 5, J "v 6.

/7 /7 INVENTOR.

Samue/ 15/00/77 f/ e/o Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED PATENT OFFICE;

Samliel: Bloomfield, Wichita, Kansl, ass'lgnor 0. Earl Hovey- Kansas City, M0,, trustee:

Application February 24, 1948, serial'No; 10,372

3 Glaims. 1

This invention relates toaccessories in the field of building and construction and more particularly to items of hardware usable with conventional door locking mechanism and operable when so used therewith to prevent rattling and to take up slack in component parts of the door fastening means.

The most important object of this invention is to provide door knob structure in the nature of yieldable spring-like means disposable in circumscribing relationship to a portion of the door knob itself and interposed between such door knob and a proximal face of the door latching mechanism per se: for exerting a yield'able force capable of taking up slack and? preventing rattling of component parts of the; door latching mechanism.

Other objects of this invention include the manner in which the spring-like member is" removably mounted in position on the door knob; the way in which the member is mounted to be neat appearing; and. the way in which the member performs its function without hindering or in. any other way effecting the normal operation of the door latching assembly.

Many additional objects. will become clear as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is. a side elevational view of a door knob member made in accordance with the present invention showing the same operably mounted in association with the door latching mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of a modified form thereof.

Figs. 3. and 4" are perspective views of two additional'modified forms thereof.

having ashank l8 provided with a borefor re- Ce'iving the spindle. A set screw or the like, not shown, serves to removably secure the door knob Hi tothe rotatable-spindle;

The anti-rattle device illustrated in Fig. I, constitutes a spring member broadly designated by the numeral 20 formed hiiti'all-y from an elongated member of plastic material or the like. Such elongated member is preferably circular in cross-section as illustrated in Fig. 1" and it is produced in the shape of a coil spring, the convolutionsthereof being in relatively side-by-side disposition. When the member Ell is to be mounted upon the doorknob Hi, the con-volutions are spread apart and the same is threaded upon the shank [-8 of door knob It by engaging one end thereof and imparting a turning motion thereto. As suchturning is exerted upon the member 20, the convolutions are successively added until the entire shank is covered and circumscribed by the convolutions of member 20. When positioned as just described and illustrated inv Fig. 1, the inherent resiliency of the plastic wire or like. material from which the member 20 is made, will tend to urge the; doorknob I 6' outwardly from the plate I 4.

It is to be noted that one end of the member 20 is disposed flatly against the plate: t4 while the opposite end thereof bears against the doorknob i6 itself.

In the modificationillustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, a relatively small wire is used to produce a coil spring 30. that is likewise disposed mentation, includes a conventional door latch-v upon a shank 32 of door knob 34. In mounting the coil spring 30; the; door knob 34 is first removed. loosening a set screw 36- serving to secure shank 32 to the spindle of the door latching assembly 38". After the coil spring; 30 has been mounted upon the shank 32-and such shank 32'. in turn threaded upon the} spindle of assembly 38, c'ertainconvolutions of the spring 31) adjacent. to the, opening my shank 3-2- for receiving screw 36, are. spread with a screw driver orv liketool. and

screw 36 is then easily moved into place intershanks i8 and. 32 respectively and; are virtually unnoticed when placed upon the respective door knobs. An attractive condition can be presented particularly with respect to the spring 20 by forming the same from plastics of desirable colors. By the same token, the spring member 30 can well be coated with a paint that will blend in with the color of door knob 34 or other parts of the assembly 38.

her 40 with one end of the member 42 while the link 48 is spaced from link 46 and joins the other end of member 40 with the other end of member 42. The parts 40, 42, 46 and 48 of the .structure 44 are initially formed from a single. piece of elongated wire having the ends thereof suitably joined by welding or the like'to present one 7 single unit. The material from which such parts are made is resilient and the two split loops 40 .and 42 are normally disposed in non-parallel relationship and within intersecting planes. When it is desired to mount the assembly 44 upon a door knob shank, the two links 46 and 48 are spread apart where the same will clear such door knob shank. After the member 44 is so placed, the links 46 and 48 are released and the loops 4|] and 42 are in circumscribing relationship with such door knob shank. The loop members 40 and 42 will be in substantial parallel relationship with one of the members 40 or 42 bearing against. the plate as illustrated by the numeral M in Fig. 1, while the other loop 40 or 42 will bear against the door knob itself.

Fig. 4 of the drawings illustrates a modification much like that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and this form 50 constitutes a coil spring with the convolutions thereof relatively far apart and having a pair of closed end loops 52 and 54. A

substantial portion of end loops 52 and 54 are parallel and remain in such'condition when the member 56 is placed upon the door knob shank.

vThe mounting of this modification '50 is accomplished by spreading the end of one of the loops 54 to receive the door knob shank and then the;

member 50 is rotated until the convolutions .thereof wind themselves upon the door knob I shank. 'The resiliency of the material from which the member 56 is made yieldably hold the loops 52 and 54 biased against the'door knob and the latch plate respectively.

. A still further modification of the present invention is illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing. nated by the numeral 60, a substantial portion of the end loops 62 and 64 of the coil spring are likewise parallel and closed. This closed condition is efiected by means of hooks 66 and 68.0n loops 62 and 64 respectively. The convolutions of the spring-like member 60 are formed to present a plurality of loops 10 and 12. These loops 1!] and 12 are disposed in overlapping relationship as illustrated in Fig. 5, the loops 10 being arranged alternately with respect to the loops The hook members 66 and 68 are received by the proximal loops 12 of the convolutions.

When mounting the spring member 60 upon a door knob shank, thehooks 66 and 68 are released from their respective loops 12 and such loops 12 are moved outwardly from the loops 1!] to present a space for receiving the door knob shank. When these-loops 16 and 12 are released, they will-spri-nginto place because of In this modification broadly desig-' their inherent resiliency to the condition illustrated in Fig. 5 and the hooks 66 and 68 are moved into operative positions connected with their respective loops 12.

It is readily apparent from the foregoing that a number of anti- -rattle devices have been set forth, all of which are capable of urging the rotatable spindle of the door latching assembly outwardly. and also capable of tending to separate the door knob from the spindle. Such tendency upon the part of the yieldable devices will take up all slack in the component parts of the door latching assembly and prevent rattling of the spindle therein. By the same token, these devices will serve to prevent rattling between the doorknob itself and its spindle thereby being of further advantage in preventing usual loosening'of the set'screws such as illustrated in Fig. 2 by the numeral.36.

While the broad principles of the present invention have been set forth by a number of possible modifications, it is understood that many other changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a closure fastening means having a spindle extending laterally from one face thereof and a knob secured to the spindle; rattle preventing means comprising a yieldable member interposed between portions of the knob and said faceof. the fastening means respectively and biased thereagainst, said member comprising a body having-a pair of opposed loops normally disposed in intersecting planes, said body being of resilient material whereby to render the loops movable into parallel planes when interposed between said portions.

2.'A closure fastening means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said opposed loops consist of split rings, one end of each of said rings being connected by a link and the remaining ends of each of said rings being connected by a link spaced from said first named link.

3. In a closure fastening means havin a spindle extending laterally from one face thereof anda knob secured to the spindle; rattle preventing means comprising a yieldable member interposed between portions of the knob and said face of the fastening means respectively and biased thereagainst. said member comprising a coil member having a pair of opposed terminal loops, at least a portion of each of said loops being normally disposed in intersecting planes, said coil member being of resilient material whereby to render the loops movable into parallel planes when interposed between said portions.

SAMUEL BLOOMFIEID.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the France Mar. 15, 1923 

